The invention relates to an apparatus for toasting bread and the like, comprising a housing with a slot which issues into a toasting space in which products to be toasted can be accommodated, while heater elements are positioned on either side of said space, which heater elements each cooperate with a reflector positioned behind the respective heater element for reflecting radiation in the direction of the toasting space, and, also on either side of the toaster space, grille elements are positioned which can have an open position and a closed position for centering the products in the toasting space with respect to the heater elements, and a support element which can be moved up and down is positioned in the toasting space, means being present for moving the grille elements and the support element in a coordinated manner.
Apparatuses for toasting bread and the like are domestic appliances which have long been known. Toasting of the bread takes place in that radiation heat is supplied to the bread from heater elements which are positioned on either side of the toasting space. The heater elements are usually formed by an incandescent wire which is wound around an insulating plate, or by a glass-ceramic tube with a helically wound incandescent wire on the inside or outside thereof.
There has long been a wish to make the toasting process visible from the outside, so that the user can observe the browning of the product directly with his own eyes.
An apparatus for toasting of bread and the like of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph is known from FR 2707858. A toaster for bread is presented in this document whose side walls and upper wall are manufactured from glass. A reflector of very small vertical dimensions is provided behind each of the heater elements so as to afford a better view of the product in the toasting space. This has the result that indeed the view of the product being toasted is hampered by the reflector in the central portion of the toasting space only and the rest of the product remains visible, but it has the disadvantage that the small vertical dimension of the reflector causes the toasting process to take place very unevenly. A further disadvantage of this known toaster is that the end walls of the apparatus are fully closed for the purpose of accommodating therein a motion mechanism and supply wiring for supplying current to the heater elements. A disadvantage of this is that the view of the product being toasted is partly obstructed thereby.
A further disadvantage of motion means for the grille elements and the product support projecting above the bottom plate is that cleaning of the interior of the apparatus is also hampered thereby.
The present invention has for its object to provide an apparatus of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph in which said disadvantages are counteracted and an apparatus for toasting of products is obtained with a minimum amount of components positioned around the toasting space.
To achieve this object, an apparatus for toasting bread according to the present invention is characterized in that at least the grille elements and/or the heater elements are positioned on two pairs of arms which are supported in a base part with hinging possibility relative to one another, said arms cooperating with recesses in a slide which can be moved back and forth in the base part. In a further embodiment, the support part also cooperates with at least one lever which is supported with hinging possibility in the base part and which in its turn also cooperates with a recess in said slide. In a favorable embodiment, the hinge pins of said arms are journaled in the base part above the slide, and the portion of each arm situated below the associated hinge pin is coupled via a lever to a guide pin which enters an accompanying slot of the slide.
Similarly, the lever for moving the support element may also be pivotably supported about a hinge pin which is situated above the slide, while the lower portion of the lever enters a recess of the slide and the upper portion of the lever is provided with a pin which is guided in a slot of the support element.
According to the invention, the recesses in the slide cooperating with said arms and levers are positioned and dimensioned with respect to one another such that the support element occupies its uppermost position in the open position of the arms, and vice versa.
An apparatus is obtained in this manner in which a reciprocal movement of a slide accommodated in a base part causes said arms and the support element to perform a coordinated motion program in which the motion mechanism is in fact entirely situated below the base plate, while only those elements which are absolutely necessary for a good operation of the apparatus are present in the toasting space.
The apparatus thus has a minimum number of components which may act as dirt traps, so that they can also be very easily cleaned.
This cleaning may be further facilitated in that a removable cloche is placed on the base part, surrounding the toasting space and the components present therein, which cloche can be taken off for cleaning of the apparatus.
To make the toasting process in the toasting space clearly visible, said cloche may be manufactured from a transparent material, as will be explained in more detail further below.
Said slide may be moved back and forth by hand, if so desired, but in a further embodiment of the invention an electric drive motor for the slide is accommodated in the base part, which motor is provided with a threaded spindle which cooperates with a nut coupled to the slide.
The slide can be moved back and forth in this manner through a suitable operation of the electric motor. This obviously enhances the ease of operation of the apparatus.
In a further embodiment, the arms supporting the heater elements and the grille elements are manufactured from an electrically conducting material so that they can serve at the same time for supplying current to the heater elements.
To achieve a good visibility of the product to be toasted in the toasting space, the reflectors, which each extend over substantially the entire side wall of the toasting space, are each manufactured from a transparent material.
Furthermore, the housing of the apparatus may be formed by a cloche which is manufactured from a transparent material on all sides, which surrounds the toasting space, and which is detachably mounted on a base plate. The reflectors and/or the cloche may be manufactured from glass in this case and may be provided on their inner sides with a transparent infrared-reflecting coating of a metal or metal oxide such as, preferably, tin oxide.
The reflectors may then have the shape of concave mirrors, the rod-shaped heater elements being placed in the focal lines thereof.
If so desired, the reflectors together with the grille elements for centering the products to be toasted may be fastened with some tilting possibility on the heater elements by means of a snap or suspension connection.
It may be concluded from the above that the invention provides an apparatus for toasting bread and the like which comprises a minimum number of components positioned in and around the toasting space, so that cleaning of the interior of the apparatus can take place with comparatively little difficulty, especially if the apparatus is further provided with a detachable cloche as its housing, which cloche may in particular be manufactured from glass, so that the toasting process taking place in the toasting space is clearly visible to the user.